Hi guys, just a small question : are the A385 hands (minute and hour) strictly the same as A386 hands ? Thanks for your help.
No, I think they are completely different. A386 are fairly unique, but the other tonneau cased EP's have similar hands. This is a A3817: A386:
I can't answer that for sure, but it's the same movement so I'd suspect that they would fit. Not sure if the hands are the same length though.
Ok. And what about later el primero handset ? Is there a handset that has strictly the same dimensions and that could fit to a A386 ? My problem is the following one, I will own soon a A386 but hands are completely f....ed up. I've found a guy that is selling a A386 handset (only hour and minute hands), he told me that it was mounted on a A385 for a long time (so I presume that A386 hands can be mounted on A385). I could buy this handset but I've found another handset (sold as NOS and complete, ie hour, minute, chrono etc) and even less expensive than the first mentionned here. As a skeptical guy, I'm wondering if a later primero handset can be sold as a NOS one, ie could it have the same dimensions and fit an original primero movement. Thanks guys for your help !
NOS handsets are available for sure. Typically they will bet service hands though. Same look and dimensions as the original but filled with luminova instead of tritium. So you'll have that contrast with the tritium on the dial. You could have it painted to match though. I've seen NOS tritium handsets only once before and I think those would be extremely rare.
I think that the whole NOS parts scenario is a fundamentally flawed concept. IMO, there is no such thing as a NOS part that isn't also a service part. The only variable is the age of that part. Any part that has found its way out of the manufacture must, by its very nature, be intended as a service part and probably a large percentage of the parts that are still within the hallowed walls will also be intended as service parts. Also, where the early el Primeros are involved, you have to bear in mind the infamous "destruction order" emanating from Zenith Radio. I would conclude that the chance of finding a true, unused original hand set is about the same as finding a unicorn. Finding a tritium service set is probably as likely as finding a needle in a haystack, so you are left with the options of: 1/ Leave the hands as they are. 2/ Refurbish the hands that you have. 3/ Accept a later service set.
In this case, yes, when I said NOS I did mean service hands that are unused. I do actually think these are New Old service hands though. Not new hands made this year to look like the old ones. Finding a tritium service set would be tough. I have seen one set though which I probably should have bought for the sake of buying it.